性视界传媒 council has given a thumbs up to a plan for more than 200 hectares of land located in the easternmost quadrant of South 性视界传媒.

Council voted unanimously 鈥� with Mayor Brenda Locke absent 鈥� at its Dec. 16 meeting to accept recommendations included in a corporate report on the Stage 2 South Campbell Heights Local Area Plan.

Covering approximately 249 hectares (600 acres) of land south of 20 Avenue, between 188 and 196 Streets, the plan aims to address a regional shortage of employment lands, and the site's location in the Little Campbell River watershed.

The report's recommendations included that council authorize staff to bring forward amendments to the 性视界传媒 Development Cost Charge Bylaw, to establish an area-specific DCC for sanitary for the plan; and authorize staff to bring forward an amendment to the city's Development Application Fees Bylaw to require the payment of additional fees to allow for recovery of the $573,446.10 cost of preparing the LAP.

Throughout the planning process, environmentalists questioned the wisdom of development in the area, which includes the fish-bearing Little Campbell River, numerous other wildlife habitats and part of the Brookswood aquifer.

In supporting staff recommendations Dec. 16, Coun. Mike Bose asked staff "to include the environment/climate community moving forward as this is built out, to ensure the environmental folks have an equal say in how the wildlife and habitat is treated as this part of our city is developed.鈥�

Coun. Linda Annis asked about the Integrated Stormwater Management Plan component, noting she'd received some correspondence about that aspect.

City manager Rob Costanzo said the intended plan is "to capture capture runoff from all the roofs," and directly infiltrate it into the ground, "to make sure the aquifer levels are sustained."

Runoff from parking surfaces, meanwhile, would be "collected, filtered through on-site bioswales and /or a stormwater treatment unit and then, similarly, put into the ground where the infiltration capacity exists," he continued. 鈥淲here infiltration capacity doesn鈥檛 exist, the same pre-treatment that I just talked about would happen, and then there would be an on-site stormwater detention."

Costanzo said the ISMP is "kind of discussed in the report as well as presented to some of the stakeholders," and he expects the final plan to be delivered by the consultant "in the next three to four weeks."

The corporate report notes the ISMP will include a "monitoring and adaptive management program鈥� to track and measure key watershed health indicators as development proceeds."

Meanwhile, city staff are continuing to work with Semiahmoo First Nation on completion of the Cumulative Effects Assessment, "which is expected before development applications in the Plan Area are considered by Council for final approval."

Coming up next month will be a public hearing on the amendment bylaw for the additional application fees. It received first and second reading Dec. 16. The public hearing is to take place at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2025.